Novelty sports cap

ABSTRACT

A novelty sports cap. On the head of the wearer, the cap makes the visual impression of a football helmet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Statement of the Technical Field

The inventive arrangement relates to a novelty sports cap thatparticularly relates to the game of football.

2. Description of the Related Art

Sports fans often wear various forms of clothing to show support for aparticular sports team. Some articles of clothing used include t-shirts,jerseys, baseball caps, and shorts that contain distinctive markingsassociated with a particular sports team.

In the game of football, many fans wear baseball caps to demonstratetheir support. Baseball caps are also practical to wear since they aretypically made from a substantially breathable fabric material. Also,baseball caps provide adequate shade protection during sunny days,allowing for improved visibility.

However, baseball caps, as its name aptly describes, relates to the gameof baseball, not football. Baseball players wear these caps as part oftheir uniform when playing on the field. Football fans, by contrast, donot have an article of headwear that closely resembles football helmetgear, while providing all the comfort advantages of a conventionalbaseball cap.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a novelty baseball cap. It can include a crownhaving a generally concave shape including a front section and a backsection. The crown can be formed from a fabric material and dimensionedto fit about an upper portion of a person's head. The invention can alsoinclude a semi-rigid bill portion extending from the front section alonga portion of a peripheral edge of the concave shape. Furthermore, thenovelty baseball cap can also include a modified area defined on aportion of the crown above the bill portion. The modified area can havea peripheral edge defining a simulated profile that corresponds to ahelmet profile of a portion of a football helmet face opening.

At least a portion of a surface that comprises the modified area of thecrown can have a contrasting color that is different from a color of aremaining exterior of the crown. The contrasting color can create anillusion of a football helmet interior. According to one alternative,the contrasting color can be black. Further, the surface of the modifiedarea can include a graphic image consisting of a portion of a person'sface. The person's face can correspond to a region of a footballplayer's face that is generally visible within the portion of an actualfootball helmet face opening when positioned on a player's head.

The surface of the modified area can also have a texture that isdifferent from an exterior of the crown. According to one alternative,the modified area can be made from a transparent material. In addition,the surface of the modified area can be recessed relative to an exteriorsurface of the crown. The novelty baseball cap can also define one ormore surface discontinuities defined around the edge of the modifiedarea. The surface discontinuity can enhance an illusion that the edgecorresponds to a helmet profile of a portion of a football helmet faceopening.

The novelty baseball cap can further comprise one or more guard membersattached to the bill portion. The guard member can comprise anelongated, tubular element having a size and shape that can simulate anappearance of a portion of a football helmet face mask. In particular,the guard member can be attached along a peripheral edge of the billportion. The invention can further comprise one or more flaps extendingfrom a peripheral edge of the crown's concave shape. The cap can includeone or more ear vent portions therein.

Further aspects and objectives of the invention will be apparent fromthe claims, the following detailed description and the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a novelty baseballcap that is useful for understanding the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a second embodiment of a novelty baseball capthat is useful for understanding the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of a novelty baseballcap that is useful for understanding the invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a fourth embodiment of a novelty baseball capthat is useful for understanding the invention.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the first embodiment of the novelty baseballcap shown in FIG. 1 that is useful for understanding the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention concerns a novelty baseball cap that is sized, shaped,textured, and colored to resemble a football helmet. Referring now toFIGS. 1-4, four embodiments of a novelty baseball cap 100, 200, 300, and400 are illustrated that are useful for understanding the inventivearrangements. Note that an element(s) may be shared by more than oneembodiment and identical elements will be reflected as such using thesame reference number throughout the various embodiments. According to afirst embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the novelty baseball cap 100 isdefined by a crown 101. The crown 101 can have a generally concave shapethat is defined by a front section 102 and a back section 103. The crown101 can be formed from a fabric material, preferably one that isbreathable and washable. Suitable fabrics include, but are not limitedto brushed cotton, cotton twill, washed chino twill, polyester mesh,brushed canvas, wool blend, open-cell polyurethane foam, and othersynthetic materials.

According to FIG. 5, the crown 101 can be dimensioned to fit about anupper portion of a person's head. There are two main ways to dimensionthe crown to fit about an upper portion of a person's head: a fitted oran adjustable configuration. In the fitted configuration, a peripheraledge 117 of the concave shape of the crown 101 is fixedly dimensioned tofit a particular size of a person's upper head. By contrast, theadjustable configuration, shown in FIG. 5, includes a mechanism thatallows the circumference of the peripheral edge 117 to be widened ornarrowed depending on the size of the person's upper head portion.Typically, an adjustable baseball cap has a half-moon shaped opening 518at the bottom of back section 103. A strap 519 made of either fabric orplastic links one end of the opening to the other end of the sameopening. Suitable adjustable closures that are commonly known includemating Velcro straps, buckle/strap, D-ring/T-slide/strap buckle, andplastic snap closures.

The novelty baseball cap 100 includes a semi-rigid bill portion 104 thatextends from the front section 102, along a portion of a peripheral edge105 of the crown 101. Typically, the bill portion of a baseball cap issemi-rigid due to it being constructed of material such as cardboard orplastic that is covered with fabric material. However, other embodimentsof the bill portion are possible. For example, the bill portion 104 canbe made of a plastic material that is not covered with fabric material.If the bill portion 104 is made of uncovered plastic, the plasticmaterial of the bill portion 104 may be translucent, tinted, or solidlycolored. The bill portion 104 should be substantially planar or slightlycurved. Both crown 101 and bill portion 104 can be formed of a fabricmaterial, preferably one that is breathable and washable. Suitablefabrics include, but are not limited to brushed cotton, cotton twill,washed chino twill, polyester mesh, brushed canvas, wool blend,open-cell polyurethane foam, and other synthetic materials.

In addition, the baseball cap 100 can include a modified area 106 thatis defined on a portion of the crown 101 above the bill portion 104. Themodified area 106 has a peripheral edge 107 defining a simulated profilethat corresponds to a helmet profile of a portion of a football helmetface opening. The modified area 106 can be substantially rectangular inshape, preferably with chamfered edges at the top right and top leftcorners of the modified area 106. The modified area wraps around thefront section 102 of the crown 101. The modified area 106 should also bedimensioned such that it simulates the helmet profile of the portion ofthe football helmet face opening. The bottom peripheral edge of themodified area 106 borders on the portion of the peripheral edge 105 ofthe crown 101 from which the semi-rigid bill portion 104 extends.

According to one aspect of the invention, an exterior surface portion116 of the modified area 106 can have a contrasting color that isdifferent from a color of an exterior surface 108 of the crown 101. Theexterior surface 108 of the crown 101 is defined as those portions ofthe crown 101 (excluding ear vent portions 115, discussed later) thatare disposed outside of the modified area 106. This contrast of colorsbetween the modified area 106 and the exterior surface 108 of the crown101 is advantageously selected so that the modified area 106 creates anillusion of a football helmet interior. For example, the contrastingcolor of the modified area can be black to simulate a dark helmetinterior. However, black is not the only color that can be used tocontrast the modified area 106 from the exterior surface 108 of thecrown 101. Rather, any combination of colors may be used provided thatthe contrast creates an illusion of a helmet interior.

Alternatively or in addition to the contrasting colors described herein,there are a myriad of possible graphic images that can be used in themodified area 106 to enhance the illusion of a helmet interior. Agraphic image 209 can consist of a portion of a person's face asillustrated in FIG. 2. In particular, the portion of the person's facecan correspond to a region of a football player's face that wouldgenerally be visible within a corresponding portion of an actualfootball helmet face opening when a helmet is positioned on a player'shead. Further, the face image need not be an ordinary human face.Instead a stylized or mascot face could also be used. Besides faceimages, other graphic images 209 can also be placed within the modifiedarea 106, such as a sports team's logo. According to two embodiments ofthe novelty baseball cap 300 and 400 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4,respectively, the modified area 106 may consist of a substantiallytransparent material.

Contrasting color and graphics is not the only manner in which to createan illusion of a football helmet interior. If fabrics are used, themodified area 106 may have a different fabric texture that is differentfrom the exterior surface 108 of the crown 101. There are numerousexamples of fabric textures, which include, but are not limited toshiny, matte, smooth, rough, weaved, and lined textures. According toanother alternative illustrated in FIG. 3, the modified area 106 can berecessed somewhat relative to the exterior surface 108 of the crown 101.This recess can define a peripheral edge 107 that corresponds to thehelmet profile of the portion of the football helmet face opening.Referring to FIG. 4, another alternative means for enhancing theillusion is to dispose one or more surface discontinuities 410 aroundthe peripheral edge 107 of the modified area 106. Such surfacediscontinuities 410 help to enhance the illusion that the peripheraledge 107 corresponds to the helmet profile of a portion of a footballhelmet face opening. One example of surface discontinuities can includestitching that delineates the modified area 106 from the exteriorsurface 108 of the crown 101. Other kinds of discontinuities can includea thin, tubular material, as illustrated in FIG. 4, which outlines thetop and side portions of the modified area 106 to simulate the faceopening profile of a football helmet.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the novelty baseball cap 100 can furtherinclude one or more guard members 111. According to one aspect of theinvention, the guard member(s) 111 can be attached to the bill portion104. For example, the guard member 111 can be attached along a billperipheral edge 412 of the bill portion 104. According to onealternative shown in FIGS. 1-3, the guard member 111 can be defined byan elongated and substantially tubular element that is sized, shaped,and colored to simulate the appearance of a portion of a football helmetface mask. As another alternative shown in FIG. 4, the guard member 111may be delineated by shading the bill peripheral edge 412 with a colorthat is different from the color on the remaining portion 413 of thebill.

Additional simulated guard members can also be added to enhance theillusion of a football helmet. For example, additional tubular elementscan be interconnected to simulate different face mask configurations.Face mask configurations largely depend on what type of facialprotection is desired for a player position. Examples include, but arenot limited to Oral Protection Only (OPO), Jaw/Oral Protection (JOP),Nose/Oral Protection (NOP), Nose/Jaw/Oral Protection (NJOP), and EyeGlass/Oral (EGOP). FIG. 3, for example, shows this interconnection oftubular elements to simulate an OPO face mask configuration. As shown inFIG. 3, a portion of the guard member 111 is attached to the billportion 104. In addition, portions of the guard member 111 may also beattached substantially adjacent to the peripheral edge 107 of themodified area 106. One or more conventional face mask fasteners 320 maybe used to fasten portions of the tubular elements that are disposed onthe front section 102 of the cap 300. To provide a more realisticfootball helmet simulation, a chinstrap 321 may be attached to flapportions 114 (to be discussed in more detail).

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, each of the novelty baseball cap embodiments100, 200, 300, and 400 can further include one or more flaps 114 thatextend from a peripheral edge 117 of the concave shape defining thecrown 101. To maintain the overall appearance of a football helmet, theflaps 114 should be preferentially made from the same fabric materialused for the crown 101. According to one alternative shown in FIG. 2,the flaps 114 may be made of a rigid or semi-rigid plastic material suchthat the flaps curve inward in a concave pattern, simulating an actualfootball helmet. The plastic material can have an outer covering thatmatches the exterior of the crown 101. The flaps may be sewn attached tothe crown 101. Alternatively, the crown 101 and flaps 114 can be formedof a seamless continuous fabric material. Suitable fabrics include, butare not limited to brushed cotton, cotton twill, washed chino twill,polyester mesh, brushed canvas, wool blend, open-cell polyurethane foam,and other synthetic materials.

One or more ear vent portions 115 can be disposed on the crown 101,preferably located on the flap 114. The ear vent portion 115 can besized, shaped, bored, or colored to simulate the earhole of an actualfootball helmet. For example, in FIG. 1, the ear vent portion 115 hasbeen shaded with a colored fabric material to contrast with the rest ofthe exterior surface 108 of the crown 101. By contrast, FIG. 3 definesthe ear vent portion 115 by a hole that is made through the flap 114.Further still, FIG. 4 defines the ear vent portion 115 by piece oftransparent material. By no means are the illustrated ear vent portionalternatives exhaustive. The ear vent portion 115 may be comprised of afabric material that is recessed relative to the exterior surface of theflap 114. In another example, the ear vent portion 115 may simply bedefined by a surface discontinuity that is disposed circularly orpolygonally to give the appearance of an actual football helmet earhole.

While the specific embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, itwill be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and alterations to those details could be developed inlight of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, theparticular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only andnot limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given thefull breadth of the appended claims and any and all equivalents thereof.

1. A novelty baseball cap which simulates an appearance of a footballhelmet comprising: a crown having a generally concave shape including afront section and a back section, said crown dimensioned to fit about anupper portion of a person's head, and formed from a fabric material; asemi-rigid bill portion extending from said front section along aportion of a peripheral edge of said crown; a modified area defined on aportion of said crown extending from said peripheral edge above saidbill portion, said modified area defining a simulated profile thatcorresponds to a helmet profile of a portion of a football helmet faceopening, at least a portion of a surface of said modified area having acontrasting color that is different from a color of an exterior of saidcrown so as to create an illusion of a football helmet interior; saidsurface of said modified area further includes a graphic imageconsisting of an upper portion a football player's face that isgenerally visible within a corresponding upper portion of an actualfootball helmet face opening when a football helmet is positioned on afootball player's head.
 2. (canceled)
 3. The novelty baseball capaccording to claim 1, wherein said color is black. 4-5. (canceled) 6.The novelty baseball cap according to claim 1, wherein said surface ofsaid modified area has a texture that is different from an exterior ofsaid crown.
 7. The novelty baseball cap according to claim 1, whereinsaid surface of said modified area is recessed relative to an exteriorsurface of said crown.
 8. The novelty baseball cap according to claim 1,wherein at least one surface discontinuity is defined around said edgeof said modified area, whereby said surface discontinuity enhances anillusion that said edge corresponds to a helmet profile of a portion ofa football helmet face opening.
 9. The novelty baseball cap according toclaim 1, further comprising at least one guard member attached to saidbill portion, said guard member comprising an elongated substantiallytubular element having a size and shape that simulates an appearance ofa portion of a football helmet face mask.
 10. The novelty baseball capaccording to claim 9, wherein said guard member is attached along aperipheral edge of said bill portion.
 11. The novelty baseball capaccording to claim 9, further comprising at least one flap extendingfrom a peripheral edge of a concave shape defining said crown, saidcrown including at least one ear vent portion therein.
 12. A noveltybaseball cap which simulates an appearance of a football helmetcomprising: a crown having a generally concave shape including a frontsection and a back section, said crown dimensioned to fit about an upperportion of a person's head, and formed from a fabric material; asemi-rigid bill portion extending from said front section along aportion of a peripheral edge of said crown; a modified area defined on aportion of said crown extending from said peripheral edge above saidbill portion, said modified area defining a simulated profile thatcorresponds to a helmet profile of a portion of a football helmet faceopening, and at least a portion of a surface of said modified areahaving a contrasting color that is different from a color of an exteriorof said crown, said contrasting color creating an illusion of a footballhelmet interior; said surface of said modified area further including agraphic image consisting of an upper portion a football player's facethat is generally visible within a corresponding upper portion of anactual football helmet face opening when a football helmet is positionedon a football player's head and at least one guard member attached tosaid bill portion, said guard member comprising an elongatedsubstantially tubular element having a size and shape that simulates anappearance of a portion of a football helmet face mask. 13-14.(canceled)
 15. The novelty baseball cap according to claim 12, whereinsaid surface of said modified area has a texture that is different froman exterior of said crown.
 16. The novelty baseball cap according toclaim 12, wherein said surface of said modified area is recessedrelative to an exterior surface of said crown.
 17. The novelty baseballcap according to claim 12, wherein at least one surface discontinuity isdefined around said edge of said modified area, whereby said surfacediscontinuity enhances an illusion that said edge corresponds to ahelmet profile of a portion of a football helmet face opening. 18.(canceled)
 19. The novelty baseball cap according to claim 1, whereinsaid graphic image is exclusive of a region of said person's facecomprising a mouth.
 20. The novelty baseball cap according to claim 19,wherein said graphic image includes a region of said person's facecomprising eyes and a nose.
 21. The novelty baseball cap according toclaim 12, wherein said graphic image is exclusive of a region of saidperson's face comprising a mouth.
 22. The novelty baseball cap accordingto claim 21, wherein said graphic image includes a region of saidperson's face comprising eyes and a nose.